The Jiolt Chronicles
by AGthepokeshipper
Summary: Join Ash, May, Cedric and Christine as they travel the Jiolt region, home to the Heaven Reaching Slopes untouched by humans. But what exactly is up there? And what will Gary Oak's research discover? And who is the mysterious Mayor? Contains a stronger Ash who is out of character to some extent. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon no matter how much I wish I did.**

**Hi this will potentially have advanced shipping, not sure though. I should apologise in advance for any spelling mistakes etc, English was never my strong point but I try! I hope you enjoy the story! This is set in a region I created called Jiolt. The idea is that Jiolt sits very northernly and has huge expansive areas that are cold and snowy as well as many much more typical of what we see in the Anime! That's me done with a bit of rambling, In future I'll post a brief recap of the previous chapter! Enjoy**

**Chapter 1: A New Start**

The mist slowly tumbled down from the infamous Heaven Reaching Slopes. It was world famous for containing Mt Ysp, the tallest mountain in the world. The entire mountain range itself was renowned for its treacherous paths that for most of the year were covered in a blanket of the whitest snow. Rumours said that due to how isolated the Mountain Range was that it was probably home to one of the legendary Pokémon. However, nobody was brave enough or even more likely stupid enough, to try and explore this mountain range. A majority of the slopes were that steep and treacherous that large parts of the area had been untouched by humans and due to high winds, had very rarely been flown over. However, Foxedge Town, a small fishing village on the edge of Lake Irtun at the foot of the slopes had just established a Pokémon Laboratory to research the theory. Research that was to be undertaken by Gary Oak.

It was for this very reason that a fishing vessel was now slowly crawling through the icy waters of Lake Irtun. The ship itself was no longer than 25 feet in length, and with the amount of rust on its body, it had clearly seen better days. However, along with the small crew who had recently been fishing off the coast of Kanto was the Pride of Pallet Town, Ash Ketchum. Ash was now 17 years old and had certainly matured from his younger years. The raven haired trainer still maintained his "just out of bed" hairstyle with his trademark cap, but now he seemed significantly stronger. Underneath the thick winter jacket and waterproof trousers along with the multiple layers underneath this, Ash was in the shape of his life. A muscly exterior forged by hundreds of miles walking and training alongside his Pokémon.

However, Ash was not the only guest on this rusting old vessel, his good friend and Top Co-ordinator May Maple had come along for the ride along with his trusted partner Pikachu. May was now 16 years old, but she had barely changed one bit. She still had the appetite of a Snorlax whilst maintaining her hourglass figure. Pikachu on the other hand, well despite his appearance not seeming different, he was much stronger. Following his defeat in the Final of the Kalos League, Ash decided to train specifically with Pikachu and Charizard, the two Pokemon he would bring to Jiolt. The intense training schedule the three of them took part in had really paid off and were all looking significantly stronger. Charizard had made incredible progress at the Charicific Valley but recently no other could pose him a serious challenge, so Ash had developed a schedule to really push him.

_Flashback_

_After 3 months of isolation, Ash had returned home to a wonderful return setup by his mother. His friends were all there. Brock, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, and Cilan had all showed up. His companions from Kalos had not as they had were all too busy. Serena with her newly opened cake shop with the other two running the Lumiose City Gym after their break. A fact Ash was tremendously excited about. However, after announcing his plans to travel to Jiolt he was met with hesitation. _

_"Wouldn't you be best just taking Scott up on the Frontier Brain offer?" Misty enquired with a somewhat dubious tone._

_"Well why would I do that?" Ash was dumbfounded, he looked around the room and saw hesitant looks etched across the large majority of faces in the room. However, two faces seemed to be in disbelief like him. That was May and Dawn. "Wait, you guys don't think I can win. Well at least May and Dawn do." The two girls responded with a nod in agreement. _

_"Look Ash, it's just you lost again. It's just a dream, one you just cannot seem to let go." Brock replied with a stern tone to Ash's statement. Those not on Ash, May and Dawn's side seemed to nod in agreement._

_"Well that is easy for you to say. After all Brock the only dream you've maintained is to date every girl you see." Ash replied coldly. It was a harsh statement but a true one. "You told me when you were younger you wanted to be the best gym leader in Kanto. Then you travelled with me wanting to be a breeder, then you say you want to be a Pokémon Doctor, but you just quit your school for that. And the rest of you nodding? Misty, all you do is talk about wanting to do something else without actually doing anything about it. Max, I don't know what you are agreeing about, you got put out in the last 16 in your first tournament, exactly like me. Iris? You may actually be one of the worst here, your dream is to be a dragon master yet you only have two dragon type Pokemon! Now Cilan, your opinion, I can understand. Because at least you go out and follow what you want to do. However, as a Pokémon Connoisseur you try to be able to predict and pass judgement on trainers and their battling styles. But people change, people adapt. Now my style is unconventional, something that goes against what you are taught as a Connoisseur, my unconventional style is something that I have worked on for years and I just got to the final of the Kalos League. Yet you all seem to forget that I am making progress." _

_Ash was now bright red with anger. "Look I understand you may be trying to look out for me, but I really wish you could support me and see my progress." May walked over placing her hand on his shoulder. Dawn did the same to the brother she never had._

_After a couple of hours had passed and the others left, it was just the trio of Ash, May and Dawn who remained in the house. "Would any of you guys like to come with me?" Ash asked. May nodded enthusiastically. Ever since she left home she had dreamed of seeing the Heaven Reaching Slopes. _

_"I can't sorry Ash! I'm travelling the Hoenn Region with Kenny next!" Dawn reluctantly replied._

_"That's okay Dawn. Follow your heart and I know it's with him!" She was blushing at that statement. Ash was right, but she had never admitted to her crush to anyone. She gave him a bemused look whilst blushing. "Dawn you forget we are like siblings, I can read you like a book!" May giggled alongside the two of them. Dawn gave them both a hug, however, when hugging Ash she slipped something into his pocket. After she had left he opened it up._

_"Let her know how you feel." Ash grinned, May desperately tried to see what it was but he dismissed it as nothing._

_END FLASHBACK_

As they crawled through the icy waters, Ash was stood at the front of the boat with Pikachu casting their eyes on the astonishing Mt Ysp that stood on the horizon. Ash could only dream what was at the top. He knew that it was too risky to try and climb it though. As much as he had been in dangerous situations before, the idea of knowingly putting May and his Pokémon at risk was too much for him. However, he did make one vow. "I will climb it one day."

During this, May was hiding from the cold by hanging out with the crew on the lower deck of the boat. The crew seemed to be giving her a lot of attention, something she did not think twice about, however, the Captain and Ash had a smirk. May's family were rather well off and how out of touch May sometimes was showed here. It would not be right to say they were rich, but rather oblivious to some things. Ash's father was a fisherman in his younger years so Ash knew about the long journeys and how it was only men on the boat. No wonder May was getting all the attention, however, Ash could not help but feel a tinge of jealousy towards the crew. "Why am I jealous? Nothing is gonna happen." He muttered underneath his breath.

_2 hours later_

Ash and May had already visited Foxedge Town's Pokémon Centre and were now outside the new Laboratory. The laboratory itself was situated midway up the mountain on the edge of the lake so was a fair distance from the actual town. The laboratory was on the crest of the mountain with the peak to the right of the building a significant distance vertically. It was a strange sort of position for the building, without really much of a view bar the peak due to the amount of trees.

"Why hello Ashy Boy! And May! It's good to see you!" Gary smirked offering them a handshake each. Ash was rather taken aback by how polite Gary was acting, he knew that Gary had matured… But to this extent? However, he did still insist on calling Ash "Ashy". Some things just never change after all.

Gary began showing them around the laboratory. The building itself did not appear to be too much from the outside, it seemed modern but modern to the point where it seemed a little derivative. But after stepping inside it was easy to spot the amount of thought that had gone into this building. The main hall once you walk in had a clear see through roof that morphed into the back wall. The glass panels made Ash wonder how much it would cost for his windows to be cleaned, this was however, before they really took notice of the view.

The Heaven Reaching Slopes stood in their direct line of sight. The mountain the laboratory was on was now placed into perspective. It was tiny compared to the other mountains. Gary could not help but smirk at the look on their faces, a look of pure awe.

"It's a shame its misty today, otherwise you would be able to see Mt Ysp clearly. You can make it out in the distance but not that well." Gary placed a hand on each of their shoulder before gesturing them to follow him. "Shall we continue?" Both Ash and May nodded enthusiastically, but as they departed they could not help but still continue to stare at the mountains dwarfing the building even from the distance.

After passing numerous machines and rooms where testing was taking place, Gary continued onwards to the part he felt Ash would love. He led them through a small corridor before opening the door. Inside this new room, it became apparent it was not just a room, it was a hall and inside this hall stood four battlefields. A normal type, a water type, a rock type and an ice type.

"Those four are only half size however, if I press this button, you may want to step back." Both Ash and May obliged to Gary's request and saw as the floor began to shift, replacing the four battlefields with two normal type full size ones. "Ash, I know you want to battle but sadly I am expecting a starter trainer so we must wait. He should be here in a minute."

"Ah okay Gary." Ash responded sounding a little deflated.

"So Gary what are you researching just now?" May had been awfully quiet up until this point, however, due to a combination of the cold and the sights she was taking in, it was easy to understand why she would be a little speechless.

"Well May, it has long been rumoured that due to the remoteness of these mountains, that a legendary Pokémon lives here." Both Ash and May turned giddy with excitement. "The thing is many of these mountains have not been climbed before and are as such, are untouched by humans. The logic is that the Legendary Pokémon are either all incredible at concealing themselves, which no doubt the ones who can change form are, or they live in remote areas. It might also be a brand new Pokémon! A majority of the rest of the world has been searched, or is being seen daily. However, this has not. I received grant money from each of the regions leagues to set this up and research."

"So who came up with this idea? About how it seems plausible that they are here." Ash enquired with a puzzling expression. "After all surely they would want to do it?"

"You are right Ash he did." Gary smirked. "I was the one who created the paper detailing this idea. So far we have had some strange results about power fluctuations in towns close to the mountains. However, right now we cannot rule out this being attributed to the extreme weather conditions. Right now our main challenge is to develop technology to allow ourselves to take better readings and hopefully, explore the unexplored."

Ash was never usually into research, but this research was astounding him. His mind quickly began to wander, wondering exactly what kind of Pokémon could be there. Would it be a legendary? Would it be a Pokémon he had met before? Or just one of immense strength? All these questions filled his mind. He did not know how but he just felt like one day he would find out.

Suddenly the door behind them opened. "Professor Oak? Are you here?"

The group turned around. Stood before them was a teenager of 18 years old, he was 6 foot tall with jet black hair that sat like Drew's. Except unlike Drew, this man had a stubbly face. It was not particularly long, more like a "5 o'clock shadow". "Ah Cedric, are you here for your starter?"

"Starter?" Ash and May squealed with confusion turning to face Cedric and Gary. "Aren't you a little old to just be getting your starter Pokémon?"

"Yeah I am, I get that a lot. I had to help run the family business till I was 18, but seeing as I turned 18 today I finally get to go and challenge the Jiolt League!" Cedric gave them a warm smile. "So do you have all five Pokémon Professor Oak?"

"All five?" Once again Ash had a dumbfounded look etched across his face.

"Yes Ash. Here trainers can choose from Squirtle, Turtwig, Chespin, Shinx or Riolu. And I have one of all five!" Gary explained as his assistant walked over producing a briefcase containing five Pokéballs.

"I'll have Shinx." Cedric remarked. "Seeing as we are so acquainted." Cedric picked up the small Pokeball which had a small lightning bolt etched onto it.

"I thought you would! You see Ash and May, I have been teaching Cedric about Pokémon for the last 2 years whilst letting him interact with the 5 starter Pokémon. I give out Pokémon once a month to new trainers, just so we have time to get more and enough. It does prove quite a rush on that day but it's enjoyable. However, due to Cedric's age and remarkable knowledge I let him know he could have his whenever."

As Gary turned to Ash it became apparent that he had not listened to a word Gary had said. Ash stepped forward.

"So Cedric how about a battle?" A statement which led to Gary and May rolling their eyes.

After a nod, both Cedric and Ash took their places with Gary officiating. "The one on one battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town against Cedric Dan of Foxedge Town will now begin. The battle will be over when either Pokémon is unable to battle with no time limit. Begin!"

"Shinx use agility!"

"Pikachu use quick attack to catch her!"

As Shinx was just beginning to pick up speed Pikachu had already caught up and rammed into the side of Shinx sending her across the field.

"Shinx! Are you okay?" Shinx stood up on all fours and gave Cedric a nod. "Okay, Shinx use agility again but zig-zag across the field and back."

The cat like Pokemon began to zig zag back and forth across the field. Pikachu was unable to keep up with Shinx as she increased in speed.

"Okay Pikachu stop, and watch her movements." Pikachu concurred however, Cedric was not about to let up.

"Shinx quick attack now!"

"Pikachu use iron tail!"

Just as Shinx was nearing Pikachu, Pikachu's tail turned a metallic colour as it swung round hitting Shinx directly in the side, leaving it in a heap on the field. It was not unconscious but Gary had seen enough.

"Shinx is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!" Ash gave Pikachu a small pat on the head. Before Gary made his way to Cedric. "I called it there because Shinx had taken a couple of powerful hits and looked worse for wear. There would have been no point continuing it after that, I know first-hand how strong that Pikachu is! As a trainer it is important to understand your Pokémon's limits, and not see them needlessly hurt." Cedric agreed, assuring Gary that he understood completely.

"You put up a good fight Cedric!" Ash said as he placed his hand on Cedric's shoulder. It was clear in Cedric's eyes that he was bitterly disappointed to say the least. He had spent hours on end studying for two years, to try and formulate a strong battle strategy, yet today it was not enough. He failed to implement his strategies at all.

"Please Ash, we both know you were taking it easy." Ash sweat dropped. He did not want to crush a beginner trainer and damage his confidence, but Cedric knew he had been toyed with. "You just showed me I have a lot to learn."

"Well how about we go get some food? No doubt you will all be hungry!" At these words from Gary's assistant the whole group, including Gary jumped up and sprinted towards the lounge area to eat. It was not until they were all seated they realised the food was not actually ready. This was met with a groan from the whole group, however, this was soon rectified. As now there was a feast of food. Predominately burgers, pizza, among other food. The reason this was put on was that Gary was actually good friends with Cedric. So this was sort of a "last feast".

After all the food was eaten, surprisingly quickly and predominately by Ash and May, the conversation soon shifted on to what their plans were.

"So Cedric, if you and Ash are both challenging the league why don't you three all travel together?" Ash looked up at that before quickly looking at May. Clearly unsure of how to respond to that. Lucky for him though, she did.

"Yes! Cedric join us! It'll give you both somebody to measure your level against." May gave him a welcoming smile which eased the anxious look that Cedric was displaying.

"If that's okay then sure!" Ash had relaxed visibly. However, he could not help but feel a little disappointed. The prospect of travelling alone with May was one he seemed to look forward to. However, the logistics of it would dictate cases of food poisoning so hopefully Cedric can cook! "I'm a good cook to so I could do that in return for your kindness!" Ash and May immediately high fived at this statement. They would not be starving!

Shortly after eating, they bid Gary farewell and set off towards Aldham City, the capital city of Jiolt.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay I've made the decision that unless I feel something is important during the travels between cities, they will be omitted from the story. So this chapter will have a brief part about Route 1 before jumping to Aldham City. I should also apologise this one is a bit worse than the last, I actually wrote Chapter 1 a few months back when I was writing more often, and I am since out of practice. So please offer me constructive criticism it does really help me and helps keep me alert on things to watch out for!**

**_Last Time: Ash and May arrived in the Jiolt Region. They gazed upon the world renowned Heaven Reaching Slopes and Mt Ysp before visiting Gary Oak at his new laboratory where they are studying the mountains to try and find Legendary Pokemon. After a short encounter Gary introduced them to Cedric who after a short battle with Ash will now be travelling with Ash and May._**

**Chapter 2: Route 1 and Aldham City**

The embers of the fire slowly died out, the crystal clear skies above drew eyes of wonder across the region. Ash, May and Cedric were full from a hearty meal of chicken noodle soup, and joined the eyes and looked above waiting for it.

"Hey it's starting!" May proclaimed.

As if in an instant a bright green and blue aurora appeared overhead dancing through the skies. Ash and May fell silent soaking in each and every movement of the heavenly show above them. Cedric had eventually turned away from the stars, a small tear forming in his eye. This had not gone unnoticed from May.

"Cedric? Are you okay?" May sounded like a caring mother comforting their child, a thought that had crossed Cedric's mind.

"Yeah, it's just this is my first ever night away from home. It's just a bit overwhelming, I really couldn't be happier." Cedric's voice wobbled but a smile defied his tears. May placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder as did Ash. They were going to make sure he had the adventure of a lifetime.

The group sat up late into the night, talking about Ash and May's adventures. They assured him that he would be in for a treat travelling with them, partially because they always attracted some form of trouble. Let's also not forget the amount of legendary Pokemon they have all seen. On that note the trio called it a night as the morning would herald Ash and Cedric's first gym challenge.

_The following morning…_

"Cedric! Wake up!"

And with a jolt from Pikachu Cedric was awoken. "What is it?" He enquired.

"It's a Litleo! You should go catch it!" Ash proclaimed.

He did have a point and Cedric duly obliged. "Go Shinx! Use thundershock!" Shinx let out a short burst of electricity that hit Litleo directly causing it to flinch. Litleo responded with a flamethrower which took Cedric by surprise as Litleo didn't tend to learn flamethrower until they evolved. "Dodge it Shinx!" Shinx managed but by the skin of its teeth.

Cedric quickly tried to piece together a strategy, obviously this was no ordinary Litleo. He looked up at Litleo who was giving him a smirk and raised its paw motioning a "Bring it on" gesture. Cedric let out a small laugh, this one was very feisty. "Shinx use thunder wave!" He was taking a chance, Shinx had worked on it as they trained during a break yesterday but was yet to master the move. Luckily for Cedric though it worked this time.

"Go Pokeball!" Cedric called. The ball flew through the air hitting Litleo before opening to encapsulate the Pokemon as a red beam of energy. The ball rocked back and forth, this continued on and on. A sweat appeared on Cedric's Brow before the small ping rung out.

"Yes! I caught a Litleo!" Cedric released the Pokemon who stretched out its paw to introduce itself to Cedric.

"Hi Litleo! I'm Cedric! My goal is to become a Pokemon master! This is my friends Ash and May, would you like to join me?" Litleo responded with just a shrug and a smile. Cedric liked its character, it seemed to be a very cool but arrogant character. For some trainers this could be a problem, but for Cedric he enjoyed the challenge and knew that with mutual respect this partnership could be incredibly powerful.

"Congrats Cedric!" Ash and May gave him a pat on the shoulder. It was almost hollow from Ash from Cedric's perspective. After all the two were pretty much rivals, albeit Cedric had a huge way to go before meeting Ash's level. Hopefully the gym challenge would help his progress. "Now let's go to Aldham City!" Ash proclaimed with a thumbs up.

_5 hours and a brief lunch stop later_

"Here we are! Aldham City!" Cedric announced, proud to be unveiling the capital city of Jiolt to his new friends.

Ash and May were taken aback by the metropolis in site. The streets of towering buildings that dwarfed them was the perfect embodiment of the phrase "concrete jungle". However, despite it being a metropolis and hub for all that happens in Jiolt, it maintained its original character, and many of the buildings were dated back to the mid-1800s and the lack of "modern architecture" seemed to give the place a unique character.

However, this was lost on Ash. There was only one thing on his mind as they wandered around the city with Cedric acting as the tour guide. Ash had stopped listening long ago, May had remained interested, but Ash was scouting the area for the gym.

"There it is!" Ash screamed at the top of his voice. May slapped him on the shoulder for the fright he had caused her! "What? I'm excited let's go! Cedric do you want to go first or shall I? After we've been to the Pokemon Centre of course though." Ash felt a bit sad about the last part, he had almost forgotten. He knew that Pikachu and Charizard had barely been put to any test but he preferred to be cautious and keep checking up on them with Nurse Joy.

"Actually Ash the gyms here have the Pokemon Centre's attached!" Ash's eyes had stars in their eyes grabbing May by the hand and dragging them to the gym. May had a small blush develop on her cheeks, Ash had never held her hand like that before. Cedric was left to chase after them, breathing heavily as he made it to the entrance.

Around 10 minutes passed between handing their Pokemon to Nurse Joy and receiving them back. They thanked her for her assistance before turning their attention to the challenge ahead.

"So Cedric would you like to go first?" Ash asked.

"I'd like you to go first Ash if you don't mind. This way I can see how the leader battles." Cedric responded, he did not want to let on that it was predominately down to nerves.

"Sure! Then let's go." They wandered through a corridor just passed Nurse Joy's desk which had a sign marked "Gym". Ash's pulse began to race, as the adrenaline levels increased. This was what he lived for, this was what he considered the true beginning to his Jiolt journey. The first of many steps culminating in his win at the Jiolt League.

The group stepped in to a pitch black hall. A single light glimmered down onto a shadowy figure on the opposite side of the hall.

"Welcome." The man said. "Can the first challenger step forward?"

"That would be me! Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Ash clenched his fist, somehow this was much more intimidating than other gyms.

"Nice to meet you Ash, are you ready for this?" The man seemed tremendously calm. But his voice was not soothing, it was haunting.

"Yes." Ash tried to sound as calm as possible but his nerves were steadily increasing as his heart rate got faster and faster.

"Then let's begin." The lights cut out. For a few moments the group stood in total darkness, in complete silence. Suddenly the whole room was illuminated, bursts of fire erupted from the four corners of the battlefield. Cedric and May spotted the stand at the side of the battlefield and took their places.

The figure spoke once more. "The battle will be 3v3, I may not substitute my Pokemon but you may."

"Hey isn't their meant to be a referee?" Ash enquired. He couldn't think of a gym that didn't use them.

"There is, he is at the top of the stands looking at live video feeds from many angles, this way he can ensure that neither Pokemon can suffer serious injury. Oh and my name is Laurence James by the way. I shall release my first Pokemon. Go Blaziken." A relatively powerful looking Blaziken burst forth from its ball looking pumped up.

"A fire type huh? Well I'd like to introduce you to Charizard!" Charizard exploded onto the scene letting out a huge roar, almost deafening all in the room. Even Blaziken looked a tad nervous now.

"Blaziken use Sky Uppercut!"

"Charizard wait for it!"

Just before Blaziken made it to Charizard, Ash called out "NOW! Seismic Toss!"

Charizard grabbed hold of Blaziken and flew into the air before spinning round and launching Blaziken into the ground, knocking it unconscious.

Laurence was lost for words, Blaziken was his strongest Pokemon yet Ash had wiped the floor with him. "Ash how did you get so strong?" Laurence was confused, he had never been beaten that badly. Not even people who went on to become champions had beaten him like this.

A pained expression shot across Ash's face.

_Flashback_

_Charizard had just unleashed a powerful flamethrower and eliminated the man's last Pokemon. He had remained silent throughout the whole battle, which puzzled Ash. But after 3 months atop Mt Silver, he had learned not to question people's idiosyncrasies. The shadowy figure recalled his beaten Snorlax turned and walked away. _

_Charizard collapsed to the ground just as Ash recalled him. "Take a nice long rest buddy, you were incredible." Ash turned his attention to his opponent who had almost disappeared from sight. Ash ran towards him, but no matter how fast he ran, his opponent grew fainter and fainter before disappearing. _

_The cliff edge startled Ash who stopped as quickly as he could. He looked over the edge where the trainer must have walked, but he was not to be seen. Turning to his left he saw a red hat and his 6 Pokéballs coupled with a small note on a handkerchief. Ash unfolded the note. _

_"Congratulations, I have finally lost. And to you. I have remained on this hill for 15 years training in solitude, the ability to speak is fast eluding me. Only my Pokemon keep me as company. Nobody seemed able to reach the top of the hill due to the incredibly strong trainers and Pokemon. I only hope and pray that whoever you are, that you can take care of these 4 Pokemon. My most loyal Pokemon Charizard and Pikachu opted to stay with me as I stop training, the other four wish to continue. They have more than proven themselves to be worthy of any Champions team, please continue forward with them. _

_Red."_

_The legend was a familiar one to Ash. The legend of "Red" the "King of the Mountain". Allegedly before television showed Pokemon battles and when you only needed 8 badges to challenge the Elite Four and Champion, a trainer had defeated them all. However, he refused to take up the role of Champion feeling that he was not worthy. His record was added to the Hall Of Fame, however, only two people at any point have access to the Hall Of Fame and none have confirmed or denied any truth to this. Could it really have been him? _

_Ash picked up the Pokeballs and released the four Pokemon…_

"I trained on Mt Silver, I made it all the way to the top defeating many trainers along the way." Ash tried to smile proudly as this was no small accomplishment, but the memories he remembered were of the cold and the extent his Pokemon went to strengthen themselves for Ash. It was painful for him, his Pokemon had always worked hard but were often pushing themselves to breaking point, and it was only ever Ash's insistence that stopped them going too far.

Following reaching the top of the hill once they arrived in Pallet Town Ash spoke to his team of 6. Pikachu, Charizard, Sceptile, Staraptor, Heracross and Frogadier were asked the toughest of questions, did they want a break or travel to Jiolt? Pikachu and Charizard were enthusiastic to continue with Ash, however, the other four were in dire need of a break. So Ash allowed them to stay behind. Ash replaced them on his belt with the four that Red had left him.

However, these would be kept under wraps for now. Ash only aimed to use them when he had a real challenge on his hands.

"Well those are some mighty fine credentials young man. Blaziken is by far my most powerful Pokemon. So I would like to forfeit." Ash looked bitterly disappointed, but he understood. If Blaziken was his strongest he admired that the leader was not willing to risk his Pokemon's wellbeing for something as unimportant as arrogance.

Cedric was in awe of Ash's performance and subsequently stepped up to the challenger's side. Laurence threw Blazikens Pokeball to an assistant so they could go get him healed up. "We shall battl if that is okay with you?"

Cedric was taken aback. "Um can you just change the rules?"

"Yes. I am the leader after all. I like to test my challengers in different ways, keeps it interesting for me!" Laurence let out a small laugh. "Let's see if you are as good as your friend?"

"He has been travelling for years, I only have been for 2 days!"

"2 Days? You are brave challenging the gym so soon!" Laurence was now reluctant, but he had to accept the challenge as that was the league rules.

"Well Ash provided me with a steep learning curve." Cedric grinned, he actually felt quite calm and reassured, not arrogant but he felt that with his knowledge he should devise a winning formula.

"Okay then, go Pyroar!"

Cedric felt a touch of nervousness now though. He felt it was possible to win with Shinx but Litleo facing his evolution could be a step too far for a Pokemon he just had caught. However, as he reached for Shinx's Pokeball, Litleo released itself.

"Litleo are you sure?" Cedric seemed concerned but Litleo launched a powerful flamethrower into the air. Pyroar looked down in admiration of Litleo's determination. "Okay then, let's do this. Use Work Up!"

"Pyroar use flamethrower!" Pyroar erupted in a ball of fire from its mouth engulfing Litleo.

As the flames died down Litleo staggered back onto its feet before glowing red and letting out a huge eruption of fire into the air. "Laurence you see that is my Litleo's hidden ability, Blaze. Litleo use Endeavour!" Cedric was grinning now. The move reduced Pyroar's HP to equal Litleo's, thus severely weakening it to the brink of fainting. "Now use flamethrower!"

Litleo used flamethrower, coupled with blaze, the power was now staggering fainting Pyroar. Laurence recalled his Pokemon looking a tad dejected. "Well that was unexpected! Although I must say I am not sure I approve of you letting Litleo get hit like that." Cedric felt a little hurt at that comment, he hadn't meant to let Litleo get hurt. Had he? After both trainers were subsequently awarder their badges, Cedric released Litleo from its Pokeball.

"Hey Litleo I am sorry for letting you get hit by that flamethrower, I should have called for you to dodge. I just didn't react quickly enough." Cedric's voice was wobbling now. However, Litleo tackled into him knocking him to the ground before giving him a paw to the face. "Are you telling me to stop being stupid?" Litleo nodded affirmatively. "Thanks for forgiving me Litleo, I'll try to be better for you in future."

The trio left the gym and healed their Pokemon. May finally spoke up. "So Cedric, does Jiolt have contests?" Ash automatically felt bad, he brought May along without considering what she wanted to do.

"We do have them here yes! There is one here tomorrow if you want to enter. I'm sure it'd be quite a treat, being a top co-ordinator I'm sure the fans would love to see you here." Cedric responded.

"Hmm, I don't know. Part of the reason I came out here was to take a break. However, I supposed it couldn't hurt to go see it!" It must have been tough for May. Since she became a top co-ordinator she had become bombarded by paparazzi and invasive press speculating on every aspect of her life. She had hoped to get away from it.

"I wouldn't worry too much here May! Unlike other regions we tend to leave celebrities to their own devices unless they are doing what they are famed for!"

This was a change of tune for May. Cedric seemed adamant that Jiolt did not really have the same amount of trashy journalism as the other regions.

"Okay then! I'll do it!" May proclaimed.

_The morning arrived_

May walked into the contestants area to sign up whilst Ash and Cedric had left to go find seats in the main arena. Apparently contests were even bigger here than other regions with spectators needing to find seats hours before the contest even began. This was proven by May's arrival in the contestant's area.

The room fell silent and turned to look at May. Whispers between competitors asking "Is that really her?" May uneasily made her way to the desk before a young girl walked up to her who must have only just turned 10 recently.

"Um… Miss Maple… May I have your autograph please?" The young girl asked.

"Of course you can! But please call me May!" She took the program and pen the girl handed her and obliged. "What is your dream?"

"I want to be just like you Miss Map… I mean May. This is my first contest too. I'm really nervous."

"Well if you work hard you and believe in your Pokemon you can accomplish anything! Just be yourself!" May handed the girl a piece of paper who was in awe of May. She embraced May for a short hug.

"Good luck in the contest!"

The room applauded May and soon she was swamped with dozens of people coming over asking for her autograph. A small sweat developed on her brow. She had only really came to compete in the contest. After 20 minutes she made it to the desk.

"Hi May Maple to sign up, here's my contest pass!"

The woman behind the desk looked up "I am sorry Miss Maple but being a Top Co-ordinator you are not eligible to compete!" May looked devastated, throughout the morning she had hyped herself up to perform. "However, I am sure we can organise something for you…" The lady picked up the phone. "Yes please come right away."

Mr Contesta appeared right behind May almost in an instant. "Ah May! Hello again! I hear you wish to perform! Well how about you open with a performance, and then maybe an exhibition against the winner?"

"That sounds perfect Mr Contesta, thank you!" May was giddy with excitement.

"Well you best get ready the preliminaries begin in 30 minutes so you will be doing your performance in 20! Good luck!" Mr Contesta swiftly departed the room just as May began to rush to a dressing room and prepare herself, and a short 18 minutes later she was backstage waiting to go on. She could see the crowd from behind the curtain and hear the announcer.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Aldham City Pokemon Contest! With me your host Sarah Diamond! As per usual we are joined here with Mr Sukizo, Mr Contesta and Nurse Joy! But to begin with we have a special treat. Sinnoh's top co-ordinator, the Princess of Hoenn… MAY MAPLE!"

The crowd erupted in a wall of noise, May had goosebumps. She hadn't expected this welcome. She took a deep breath and stepped out into the arena.


	3. Chapter 3

**_I have decided that I will try and work with some sub-plots too that can tie together into the grand scheme of things... But the first of these sub plots will be introduced at the end of this chapter so carry on! I am also looking for Gym leader ideas! A fire type gym has been done obviously in chapter 2! So please submit your gym leaders! Include a name, speciality and their team of 6! Also looking for names for the "bad guy" organisation. So any suggestions are welcome!_**

_Last time: Ash and Cedric both challenged the Aldham City Gym and both managed to win their first badge. Ash had simply overpowered Laurence whilst Cedric seemed to strike lucky with his newly caught Litleo. May had also just agreed to do an exhibition performance for the Aldham City Contest which is where we join them._

**Chapter 3: May's Time To Shine**

"And the crowd goes wild!" The announcer shouted through the microphone.

May's Beautifly had produced an incredible display that had the audience in the palm of her hand as golden dust showered them. They subsequently produced a small curtsy to show their appreciation. The contestants all gazed at her in awe as she passed them all backstage. She was congratulated by so many people she had lost count from all except one. A young girl named Luna Rose.

"Seen that one before." Luna stated with a snide tone.

"Yeah I've done it a couple of times before! I only had 20 minutes to prepare so stuck with what I knew! Hi I'm May!" She extended her hand trying to keep a positive attitude. However, Luna was having none of it.

"Just leave, you are just average, the only reason you won Top Co-ordinator was cause the best were competing in Hoenn. No wonder you couldn't win it in your home region." Luna had a sadistic smile plastered on her face.

"May I ask how long you've been doing this?" May asked.

"8 Years." Luna responded, clearly realising which direction the conversation was going.

However, May didn't follow that up with a snide remark. She merely stated, "Well hopefully, one day you get to compete against me in the exhibition at the end of today! You must have a lot of experience!" May gave the girl a smile. "Good luck!"

Luna departed without acknowledging the comment. May sighed, looking forward to being able to just chill for a few hours, at least so she thought. A TV crew broadcasting the whole event live managed to convince her to join the panel for the day.

The preliminary rounds passed without too much quality. Most performances were at a decent standard but lacked real creativity. That was until Luna had her performance. With her Empoleon they had displayed Empoleon's raw power with a nice amount of elegance for good measure. The host could not help but ask May's opinion.

"So May, Luna Rose put in a strong performance! What are your initial thoughts?"

"Well to be honest, I thought it was a very good performance very creative. But for large parts of it Empoleon was actually out of sight usually submerged in water. We can't forget that the Pokemon should be at the centre of the performance not the moves! But her performance showed a tremendous amount of potential and I'd be very surprised if she didn't at least make the semi-finals today if not the final!" May let out a small smile, contented with her constructive criticism of Luna.

"So you think she maybe has an outside chance?" The host was clearly pressing for something more definitive.

"All I am saying is that when you reach the semi-finals anything can happen from there on out. Being the favourite doesn't necessarily mean you will win! But if I had to bet on it, I'd probably go Luna right now. It depends how she does in the battle stage above all else! "

As the day passed and edged closer to May's battle against the winner, it reached the final stage and Luna had made it.

"So May, Luna has made the final, you called it right! Do you think she will win?" The host asked.

"I would have to say so, her opponent has scraped through a couple of matches quite luckily and had some favourable type match ups. Luna has had the harder battles but still won them all quite comfortable."

Luna was glaring over towards the TV box at the top of the stand where May was sitting. She clearly was not happy about Mays comments no matter how justified they were. However, this had to go to the back of Luna's mind, she had a contest to win.

"And it's all over! The host announced. Luna has won! She will now be presented with the ribbon and the opportunity to battle May Maple!"

May was dressed in her costume again presenting Luna with her ribbon. "Well done!" She said. Luna just shrugged off the comment, clearly not interested. "Would you like to battle then?"

The reporters and cameras were all on her. It would be May's first battle in Jiolt, this was a big story. But Luna had a different idea.

"Nope. I don't want to battle co-ordinators beneath me." Luna turned and walked out of the arena. The whole crowd silent and shell shocked. The reporters rushed over to May looking for a comment before falling silent to hear her reaction.

"Luna had a very strong contest today and thoroughly deserved her win. Firstly I'd like to offer my condolences to the runner up! You have done well today, and if you work hard to expand your repertoire you are destined to do very well. As for Luna, I respect her right to not challenge me, and I only wish that one day I will be able to battle her in a competition. Unfortunately due to being a Top Co-ordinator I will be unable to compete here, however, I will definitely visit numerous contests whilst here. Thank you!"

May had once again proven that she was the media's golden girl. However, unlike other regions where they looked for her flaw, Jiolt seemed to love that she was the golden girl. In Hoenn in particular the press were ruthless and tried to tarnish her reputation with false rumours that it was all a put on, which it wasn't. Occasionally May did have a temper, but she really did try to be nice to everyone because she wanted to.

Ash and Cedric appeared at the Contestants entrance waiting on May who seemed very tired once she stepped out.

"May! You were great today!" Cedric exclaimed.

"Thank you! Sorry I couldn't see you guys, I got roped into press work and stuff, but it was a lot of fun! I was a bit disappointed to not have a bottle at the end."

"That's okay May!" Ash gave her a small hug as he said this. It took May by surprise but she enjoyed it. Ash had always been so caring towards her and moments like this she truly cherished. A relaxing sensation swept through her body and the rather intense day seemed to wash away.

Being a top co-ordinator was a lot of fun at times, but sometimes the pressure would occasionally get to her. Although here it seemed to be about the co-ordinating rather than being a celebrity, a refreshing change of pace. Sadly though she couldn't help but feel a little bit riled that Luna had refused to battle May. No matter how talented Luna was, May felt that Luna's arrogance was unjust.

"So May why did Luna not want to battle you?" Cedric was still a bit baffled. It was not every day you had the opportunity to test yourself against someone of immense talent. Luckily though he had Ash but very few had that luxury.

"She just didn't seem to like me, I tried being nice to her but she did her most to try and rile me. I was just disappointed not to get to battle her." May's face displayed a rather forlorn expression.

"Well how about this, it may not be a contest battle but how about we battle?" Ash had a smirk, he knew May wouldn't be able to resist that offer. Cedric considered the prospect. May was clearly very experienced but she was a Contest performer, not a battler. It would be two very different styles, Ash rather unorthodox, May flamboyant displaying the grace only contests can provide.

"Let's do it. 3 V 3 sound good?" May asked. Cedric hadn't realised but when Ash fed his Pokemon he did so on his own. He only knew of two Pokemon on hand, Charizard and Pikachu. "And how about you make it 3 of the Pokemon you have been hiding from us?" May gave Ash a wink.

"Only if you are sure May… They are very powerful." May nodded enthusiastically, she enjoyed a challenge.

After a half an hour walk they made it to the outskirts of town which coincidentally had a Pokemon Centre. A small battlefield lay to the side of the centre which would be the venue for the battle.

"Okay… Go Gengar!"

"A Gengar huh? Go Glaceon!" May called out.

"Gengar let's start this off with a Sludge Bomb!" In an instant, Gengar coughed up a toxic sludge that hit Glaceon straight in the face impeding its vision.

"Glaceon clean it off with your paw quick!" May was desperate already, she didn't know what moves Gengar could use. Glaceon managed to clean it off but just as it looked up…

"Gengar use hypnosis!" Ash called out, he was being ruthless in this match barely giving May a second to think. Before May could even call a response Glaceon was fast asleep on the ground. "Now use Dream Eater!" Gengar floated over Glaceon and indulged itself in Glaceon's dream causing significant damage. Once Gengar was done Glaceon awoke but collapsed to the ground unable to battle.

"So May, next Pokemon?" May was feeling even more determined, but had no idea what the other two Pokemon were. "Gengar return. Go Golem!"

"Why did you switch out Gengar?" May was puzzled.

"You said you wanted to see other Pokemon of mine, so say hello to Golem!" Ash gave a thumbs up to Golem who subsequently gave a thumbs up to May.

"Okay if you are going for Golem… Go Venusaur! Use vine whip!"

"Quick Golem dodge then use Rock Polish!" Venusaur's vines came crashing down just where Golem had been, but this was no ordinary Golem, much quicker than usual.

"Venusaur use frenzy plant!" May screamed. Venusaur duly obliged and upon stamping its foot on the ground vines starting stretching out of the ground to attack Golem.

"Golem use Rollout and Flamethrower at the same time!" In a flash Golem began rolling through the plants at tremendous speed whilst unleashing the flamethrower. The flames burned the vines from the frenzy plant before they could even reach Golem. "Now head straight for Venusaur!" A swift change of direction sent Golem crashing straight into Venusaur knocking it unconscious.

May subsequently returned Venusaur. "Okay last chance saloon, let's go Blaziken!" Blaziken was released onto the field and looked as pumped as ever.

"Return Golem, let's go Dragonite!" Dragonite erupted from the Pokeball and roared in a similar way to Charizard would. Blaziken was not shaken by this however.

"Blaziken use flamethrower!"

"Dodge it Dragonite!"

Once again, May's Pokemon had not been quick enough to hit Ash's.

"Now Dragonite use Dragon Claw!"

Dragonite sped towards Blaziken its hand at the ready swirling with green energy. Upon contact it sent Blaziken flying back past May. But Blaziken was by no means done, it jumped from its landing spot all the way back onto the battlefield.

"Right Blaziken use Blast Burn!"

"Dragonite counter with Dragon Rush!"

As the flames from Blaziken erupted and made their way towards Dragonite, Dragonite had covered its whole body in green energy and launched itself straight at it. The collision caused a massive explosion. But just as it began to clear Dragonite came flying through the cloud and continued straight for Blaziken. With such speed Blaziken could only stand and watch in fear as the 7 foot tall Dragon came crashing into him. Blaziken now lay in a small crater half way between Ash and May.

"Good battle May!" Ash proclaimed, May responded with a smile, but her eyes betrayed her. A single tear developed, she had never felt so weak and helpless. Just where had Ash found those Pokemon? She couldn't resist she had to ask.

Ash proceeded to explain about his battle on the mountain, his encounter with Red and the four Pokeballs left to him. Cedric and May seemed dubious, Cedric even questioned if the loneliness could have played tricks with his mind. Ash could only point at his Pokemon and ask how he could have got them otherwise. Upon releasing the three Pokemon he had used in the battle to heal them, Cedric and May verified with them that that had indeed been the actual story.

"Wow! So you have met Red? What was he like?!" Cedric was full of questions, the legend of Red was known to all trainers, and only two people in the world could know if it was true but they kept it quiet.

"I don't really know. When I made it to the top of Mt Silver, he turned to me and released a Pokemon without saying a word. He didn't even shout commands, it was almost as if he could communicate telepathically with them. It was an intense battle, Charizard was running on empty against Gengar but managed to pull through for me. I picked up a note explaining who he was and that he had lost the ability to talk, there was no mention of how long ago it was he wrote it either." Ash paused to take a breath and collect his thoughts. The whole thing seemed a little off. Why did Red train there? And where exactly did he go?

These thoughts remained in the trio's head throughout the rest of the day. After a brief visit to the Pokemon Centre, the trio were on their way, still puzzled by the story of Red.

_That night _

"So guys, are we ready to release the equipment?" Gary Oak enquired.

"Yes! We are just letting the wind die down, should only be a minute then we are good to launch." One of his aides responded.

The team at the Foxedge Town lab were at the cutting edge of science. Accurate readings and maps of the Heaven Reaching Slopes as well as thermal data would all be used in the search for legendary Pokemon. It had taken months planning this but finally it had all come together. A small device contained all the technology to take these readings but was also light enough to be carried by a weather balloon.

From a financial perspective they had to get this right. The device itself cost hundreds of thousands of Pokedollars and due to the extreme temperatures no technology could fly it across the mountains and back. Thus, high powered radios would send the data back to the lab as the weather balloon carried it above the mountains.

"3… 2… 1…. Launch!"

This was it, Gary's heart felt like it skipped a beat. His entire career could be judged on this one moment. Well technically on the data that this one moment could bring, but if this went wrong they would be shut down most likely.

The balloon rose up, the team looked carefully, and the tension was so thick it could be cut through with a knife. Once it cleared the trees and reached 100 feet it would be a smooth ride.

"It's at 70 feet!" Just as the aide called over a small burst of wind caught it shifting it a few yards, the whole team could see failure. But it never came to that, the balloon corrected its course thanks to another small burst in the opposite direction.

"Thank Arceus… It just passed 100 feet."

The tension soon subsided and the group slowly walked back into the lab, all except Gary. He remained to stare up at this moment, this potentially life changing moment. It was very much like being an explorer in the vein of Columbus. A previously unseen part of the world from human eyes was within the mountain range and Gary with his small team would be the first to witness this remarkable occasion.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay guys so I should say in advance this chapter is going to have quite a bit of jumping about! I don't know how well this will work so please let me know what you think, if it becomes too stop start. I always have the option to reduce chapter size and split it up and do chapters for the more significant bits. And there is a dream in this that will be in italics later on (it does get introduced).**

_Last time: May performed at the Aldham City Contest dazzling the crowds. However, she met the rather arrogant Luna Rose who won the contest but refused to have an exhibition battle with May. Following the contest Ash and May battled where three of the Pokemon gifted to Ash by Red were revealed. Gary also started his experiments to begin exploring the Heaven Reaching Slopes._

**Chapter 4: Dreams**

_The following morning just outside Southfall City_

"Go Pokeball!" This shout was followed by a momentary pause before the click was heard.

It was not the kindest awakening that Ash and May had ever had but they were glad Cedric had caught a new Pokemon.

"So guys I just caught a Lantern! Shinx and Litleo were training when we spotted it just over in the lake!" Cedric was giddy with excitement.

"That's great Cedric! Will help you at the next gym, I heard it's a water type gym!" May explained. Cedric responded with a goofy grin, not much unlike Ash's at times. "I say we get going, I have cereal bars that we can eat along the way. The Pokenav says we should only be about 2 hours away from Southfall City."

"Then let's go!" Cedric was off like a shot, clearly on a new high since catching his latest Pokemon.

_2 hours and a brief Pokemon Centre stop later_

Ash, Cedric and May walked into the entrance to the gym. A stone staircase led them down towards the battlefield, strange markings were on the wall. But this was lost on the challengers who felt the eeriness and lack of lighting a tad unnerving. It seemed that this was a theme for the Jiolt Gyms. The deeper they travelled they could see small trickles of water running down the walls, it seems that May was right.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs the lack of lighting was once again characteristic. A large pool with some stone columns rising out of it made up the battlefield. After a brief set of introductions with the leader Caleb the first battle had begun with Cedric.

"Go Lanturn!" Cedric shouted in response to Caleb releasing a Wartortle. "Lanturn us thunderbolt!"

The bolt of electricity fast spread throughout the water that the two Pokemon were submerged in. The Wartortle was clearly hurt bad but not enough to take it down. Caleb knew that with the battle occurring underwater there was no point in even attempting to have Wartortle dodge or protect itself as the water would get into its shell anyway.

"Wartortle use Rapid Spin!" Wartortle began spinning very quickly and jetted through the water towards Lanturn.

"Lanturn use endure!" As Wartortle crashed into Lanturn, Lanturn braced itself to ensure that it would endure the attack. "Now use thunderbolt!" The second thunderbolt proved enough, defeating Wartortle. After Wartortle was replaced by a Seaking, Lanturn was replaced as the damage had taken its toll on it. "Okay Lanturn, return. Go Shinx!"

Shinx stood atop the stone pillar looking over the edge with a fearful expression etched across its face. It clicked, Shinx must really not like water. "Okay Shinx finish it quick with the TM I gave you, use Thunder straight on the pool!" A huge bolt of electricity erupted from Shinx before dropping down to the pool defeating Seaking with ease.

"Well, well you put up a good fight! Here's your badge!" Caleb shouted over from the opposite side of the battlefield. A small noise was heard and a small hand extended from the ground holding a badge for Cedric.

After a brief changeover it was Ash's turn. Pikachu was raring to go…

_At that very moment_

"Boss! We have word from our agent, the experiment launched successfully. The first readings are expected tonight."

A man sitting at the desk in a black suit swivelled round in his chair to face the interruption.

"Excellent," he said. "Make sure our agent know that her work is of the utmost importance to our organisation."

"We will get right on it sir! But can we ask, why is the Heaven Reaching Slopes so important? It's meant to be empty, unfit for life?" The grunt enquired.

"Gary Oak published a paper. It hypothesized that many of the Legendary Pokemon may live there, but that is not why we want to know what is there. Can you guess why?" A brief look of confusion was enough to let "The Boss" know that he would be best explaining himself.

"Basically, the Hall Of Origin was apparently what humans came to call heaven. The reason for us looking is that early humans apparently were able to access the Hall Of Origin along with Pokemon from various points across the globe. However, as we became more powerful and dangerous, Arceus closed off all of the entrances bar one. Now we have seen the rest of the globe and the entrance is not there… Meaning the only place it could be is?"

"The Heaven Reaching Slopes" the grunts muttered under their breath. "Thank you sir! We will get back to work!"

The man turned round to face out of his window again. He had amassed so much in his lifetime but he wanted more. A typical side effect of the human condition, however, few get themselves into this position of power. As he stared out the window lost in his thoughts about the Hall Of Origin his phone rung.

"Is this the Mayor?" The voice on the other end of the line enquired.

_Back at the gym_

The trio were leaving the gym, Ash had won his badge with relative ease again and they were now dissecting Cedric's performance.

"So Cedric, you done really well there but I think you could improve." Ash stated.

"What do you suggest Ash?" Cedric was keen to improve.

"Well your battling style is too textbook. It is great that you know everything but if you cannot be flexible then you are going to struggle when you come up against someone really challenging. The other thing is that you need to get to know your Pokemon better, keep them outside their pokeballs. When Shinx was on that pedestal why do you think it was uneasy?" Ash had turned into a lecturer, but luckily enough Cedric really was happy for feedback from somebody as experienced as Ash.

"Because he doesn't like water?" Cedric enquired.

"Well why don't you ask Shinx?" Cedric obliged releasing Shinx and enquiring. Shinx shook its head.

"Just as I suspected. Shinx is afraid of heights right?" Shinx nodded affirmatively at Ash's statement. "See Cedric you need to get to know them, let them know they can trust you fully. Your reaction time will decrease and your Pokemon will respond quicker and not question what you do. I am not saying that has happened yet to any real extent, however, I fear it will for you if you do not work on this."

Ash's words hit Cedric like a brick wall. He felt he had been doing really well until now, but hearing Ash say this, it was the reality check he needed. He realised he had a lot more work to do before he could be considered truly strong. This was considering that Ash's comments were justified.

"We can work on it later if you want?" Ash asked.

"Sure Ash that'd be great!"

"Not right now though!" May exclaimed. "I haven't been able to go shopping or explore anywhere really yet and I really want to explore Southfall!" May subsequently grabbed each of their hands and proceeded to spend the next 3 hours visiting literally every shop she saw. As the boys followed her the amount of bags they were carrying increased by what felt like the minute. The three of them dropped down onto a bench in one of Southfall's many shopping centres.

"Jeez, I am all shopped out!" May said.

"Seriously? You weren't carrying the bags!" Ash chuckled as he spoke. Cedric on the other hand absolutely no idea why he was carrying some of the bags. He then remembered that Ash had warned him about May's temper and counted his blessings.

The afternoon had come and gone following the gym battle and shopping spree and the trio headed to the Pokemon centre and booked out rooms for the night mainly at Ash and Cedric's insistence. As they put it to May repeatedly that evening, "those backs were heavy!"

_That night at Foxedge Towns Laboratory_

Gary cut a lone figure asleep at the alert system that would let him know of any spikes in the thermal readings. Many empty cups of coffee were strewn across the floor, the initial results had been disappointing. From the live pictures they received they could make out what looked like Pokemon/Human made paths across the mountain range, but this could not be disproven as being due to the wind up there.

Hours had been spent looking at the computer screens, his aides bleary eyed were sent home by Gary as it hit 1am. He felt that at that stage they would have picked up something if they were going to find anything substantial on the first night. Of course the balloon, due to the equipment's weight was travelling relatively slowly and could only give accurate readings for parts of Mt Ysp and about 10% of the whole mountain range.

Suddenly, the alarms were triggered. Gary shot up with his blood shot eyes scanning the screens and what he saw amazed him. There were four figures on the live feed from the thermal camera. Two of them looked like large dragon Pokemon that were battling people but were not clear enough to be identified as it was night time so the normal camera feed would not be able to see. However, this was not what amazed him the most.

The other two figures appeared to be people. Normal people. Gary had hit the record button and began to capture this data but after a few short moments of footage the figures stopped the battle that was ensuing before the four figures vanished. Gary rubbed his eyes in disbelief as they had literally appeared to have vanished into thin air.

Gary sat back in his chair trying to process what he had just witnessed. Two large Pokemon were battling on the mountain, in such extreme conditions they would have to be very powerful in order to survive the weather and altitude. But the thought of two humans being up there was something previously unconsidered. He had two choices, wait until the morning before telling his aides or let them know now. He decided on the latter phoning all of their homes.

Within an hour all of his assistants had arrived and were keenly watching the readings with great focus trying to decipher what they had seen. Theories both plausible and completely ridiculous were being bounced back and forth from the scientific minds in the room. Some of the aides were online looking up historical rumours for guidance and began writing down old local folk tales and listing off the handful of people who could maybe survive these conditions.

The group worked long into the night and shortly after 4am Gary hit a spark.

"Guys! Can I have your attention?" The room fell silent. "Thank you very much. Now I know we are trying to figure out which Pokemon they are first and foremost and that is what we are here to research primarily after all. However, these two trainers must be incredibly powerful. We have no idea who they are all we know is they are people so I want to go out on a limb here. I believe one of them is Red!"

A few of the aides let out a laugh.

"Red is nothing but a legend. We should focus on real people Gary, stop getting involved with myths. Nobody can even prove that Red lived." The aide had a point, or at least so he thought.

"That's where you are wrong." Gary's words had silenced the room. "We know that before here I took over control of the Pallet Town Lab as my grandfather was getting too old to run it full time? Well he passed on access to the Hall Of Fame for me… This is something I really shouldn't be saying but allegedly Red told the Champion and my Grandfather to only allow his existence to be revealed when it would be worth it. I think this may be that time, that piece of history. And we are all a part of it!"

The aides had all gone starry eyed. This was the sort of revolutionary breakthrough that they had dreamed of since they were small. At least all except one who had snuck out the room.

_The Mayor's Office_

"Good work Agent 8." The Mayor put down the phone and stepped up out of his seat. He walked towards his office window and looked out at Aldham City.

"So, the fools are focused on the trainer's identity? If only they knew what really lives up there. They are looking for legendry's when this is the only place in the world the Hall Of Origin can be. Imagine, they don't even realise they are so close to Arceus."

He poured himself a small glass of whisky.

"It's funny, with Arceus here I will finally be able to fix the human condition. I can lead in a new generation, a new world order. One where I will rule and people will pay for the cruelty they have inflicted on Pokemon and the Planet. I will finally complete your mission father. I hope you are watching with pride because the next few months will change the world.

_5am that same night at Southfall Pokemon Centre_

The trio slept in their respective beds lost in their dreams. May dreaming of becoming Top Co-ordinator in Hoenn whilst Cedric dreamed of winning the Jiolt League. Ash was dreaming of reaching the top of Mt Ysp, but it was just as he reached the top in his dream the dynamic changed.

_In an instant that step on to the top had left him in a dark room. _

_"Woah how did I get here?"_

_Ash looked around and he spotted Red amongst the darkness. Ash ran over towards him but again like on Mt Silver, could not reach him._

_"What is going on?" Ash wondered as he stopped chasing Red. _

_He looked up, Red was gone. The room faded, replaced by images of Arceus and Red flickering between themselves slowly but increasing with each passing second. _

_"Find us." A voice rang out._

_"Who are you?" Ash called out._

_"Find us." The voice repeated._

_"Please just tell me who you are?" Ash was getting desperate. He felt his palms getting sweaty, his heart racing struggling to cope with what was going on._

_"Find us. Find the entrance."_

_"The entrance to what?!" Ash was almost screaming now._

_"Find uss…." But the voice faded into nothing this time. Whatever that was about would have to wait. He shut his eyes._

_As he opened them he realised he wasn't in his own body, he could tell. He didn't know why but it just didn't feel like him. He was standing on top of Mt Silver and could see himself looking back at him. Frightened would be putting it lightly. The body he was in turned around and walked towards the edge. _

_He was now just ready to look over the edge and he stepped off. He could see the ground ready to greet him, with a painful ending. Why couldn't he just wake up now?_

_A flash of red energy shot passed him, and Ash landed on Charizard before shooting away from Mt Silver at a phenomenal speed. Ash looked down, this Charizard was black, he recognised it as the mega evolution of Charizard. He looked up once more and could see himself looking at the edge. _

Ash woke up, still sweaty, it was 6am, still too early.

"What on earth was that all about? That can't be what happened to Red… Could it?" Ash wondered aloud. "I better write this down."

And so Ash departed the room to get a pen and paper from Nurse Joy who as always was at the desk, albeit looking very tired. A few minutes is all it took to jot down the events of the dream as accurately as he could.

As he made it back to his room, May was awake.

"Ash are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah I just had a horrible dream." She took his hand and sat him next to her on her bed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No thanks, it was really bad. I wrote it down so I would remember though, it was weird…" Ash had a pained expression across his face. He had experienced a lot but nothing like this.

"Well I can only try and make you feel better." She slid closer to him and hugged him. Ash reciprocated the hug and the pair lay down. Ash already felt better, his heart rate was regulating. May could feel the cold sweat on Ash's arms and could feel his heart beat against her. As Ash calmed down and his heart rate normalised, the pair grew more and drowsier until they drifted into a deep sleep in each other's arms.

This is something that took around 40 minutes, despite how tired they were. However, with Cedric's snoring that seemed awful that night, it was a wonder they had managed to sleep at all. May made a mental note to confront him about it in the morning. She knew herself and Ash could snore but Cedric's was worse than theirs combined.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A little bit more jumping around in this one trying to include some back story. Also a new character introduced who seems to be rather important! Still looking for some gym leader names and teams! Please share! Should have one or two more chapters from on the road before arriving at Silver City so you have time!_**

_Last Time: Ash and Cedric won at the Southfall City Gym. Ash gave Cedric some advice and offered to help him train. Elsewhere Gary's Lab got its first readings and noticed two figures and Pokemon battling on the Heaven Reaching Slopes one of which is presumed to be Red. Elsewhere "The Mayor" discovered that the first readings had been detected from his inside agent. _

**Chapter 5: Christine**

Morning fast came at the Southfall City Pokemon Centre. Cedric was the first to awaken, as he pulled on a new tshirt and a pair of shorts he noticed Ash and May lying in each other's arms. But he left them there so he could grab some breakfast and buy supplies. Luckily enough the market was right next door to the centre. After a short half an hour he had eaten breakfast, bought potions, pokeballs etc, he knew the next journey to Silver City would take at least a couple of days.

As he stepped back into the room Ash and May were awake and dressed. Pikachu had apparently mischievously awoken them with a thunderbolt mainly due to boredom. They had also had breakfast and fed their Pokemon leaving them free to set off with Cedric.

"So Cedric what is Silver City like?" May enquired.

"Well, it's further north so even though it's warmed up a bit since we left Foxedge its gonna get colder! Hopefully not too much though. But Silver City is great, it's named because they produce the most Silver of any city in the world. If you want to get somebody a gift this is the place to go! Silver City pieces of jewellery sell in other regions for as much as Gold! But you can get it cheaper here!"

The trio set off up route 3. The sun was shining and the breeze was calm. It made it the perfect day for a journey. As they departed Southfall City the green trees began to populate the horizon, Mt Ysp could be seen just peeking over the horizon. They had come a very long way already and there was no sign of this letting up. However, this was where the real journey began, the amount of days on the road would increase up to a week, sometimes more.

A few hours had passed, the trio continued on trudging through the forestation. Pokemon could be seen throughout the trees, until just a hundred or so yards ahead of them they could hear shouting and a girls scream.

"Guys we have to go!" The three of them started sprinting towards the source of the sound. With each yard they ran they could hear the fear escalating in the girl's voice. Ash was the first to arrive at the scene.

"Hey leave her alone!" Ash called. The three grunts that were surrounding her turned around and laughed.

"Haha try and stop me. Go Infernape!" The largest one called.

"Go Gengar!" Ash responded. "Gengar use hypnosis!"

Within an instant Gengar had put Infernape to sleep before the grunt could respond. "Gengar use Dream Eater!"

The grunt was lost for words, he hadn't expected this. "Go Houndoom!" The others also joined and released their Houndoom. Something that had not gone unnoticed by Ash. They were clearly some sort of gang. Cedric and May arrived just now.

"We've got to help Ash!" Cedric called.

"Leave it." Ash said with a grin striking across his face. "Go Dragonite! Use Draco Meteor! Gengar use Psychic!"

Dragonite shot a ball of energy into the sky that violently exploded into meteorites. Gengar then took control of the meteors breaking them into three groups and launched them at each of the Houndoom causing them to faint.

Cedric and May stood speechless but let out a laugh.

"This is the part where you run!" May shouted as she waved at the three grunts.

"Not so fast May Pikachu hasn't even had a go! Pikachu use thunderbolt and send them blasting off!"

Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and launched a powerful thunderbolt causing an explosion launching the three grunts high into the air.

"Cedric call the police explain what happened. Are you okay?" Ash had now turned his attention to the girl. Her Squirtle lay on the ground fainted, she was in tears, shaking with fear.

"Here! I have a revive for your Squirtle!" Cedric said with a smile. The girl reluctantly accepted and thanked them repeatedly after applying the medicine to Squirtle. She stood up. She was a tall girl of around 6 foot in height with long brunette hair and blue eyes.

"So what's your name?" May asked.

"My name's Christine Hayley. It's nice to meet you. Thank you for saving me." The trio subsequently introduced themselves.

Squirtle who was now awake gave a weak thumbs up to the group, displaying its clear need for rest.

"Well Christine, how about we take a break here? We can eat and even camp it out here if you want? Are you not travelling with anybody else?" Cedric enquired.

"No… I didn't really have any friends." A tear formed in her eye leaving May, Ash and Cedric to reach one conclusion.

"Well you do now! If you want that is? We'd love to have you join us! Means I won't be the only girl either?" May said with a wink.

Christine burst into tears.

"Wait, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings…" May felt a strong sense of guilt now.

Christine look up, the tears continued but she was displaying the biggest of smiles relieving May in particular. She took a breath and composed herself.

"I would love to."

_The Mayor's Office_

"What do you mean the target got away?" The Mayor screamed down the phone.

"We are sorry boss, this one trainer defeated us! He was insanely strong." The Mayor contemplated this for a moment.

"Which Pokemon was he using?" The Mayor regained a brief moment of composure.

"A Dragonite and a Gengar."

"Well, I don't know who it could have been. But I will give you the benefit of the doubt, don't fail me again or else." The Mayor had a cold and sadistic tone to his voice striking fear into the three grunts.

"Yes sir!" The grunts called down the phone.

The Mayor hung up on them and once again looked out his window.

"I thought it would have been you again Red, my old nemesis. But if it wasn't Pikachu and Charizard I doubt it could have been you. I guess its luck that your niece got away. I will find you and defeat you. You cannot ruin this plan."

The phone rang again.

"Sir, what would you like me to do with the laboratory information? There is now data for 50% of the region, should I begin the search?" The voice asked.

"You need a distraction. Leak the information to the press to keep Oak busy and begin your search."

_That evening at Foxedge Town Laboratory_

"Professor Oak you may want to see this…" One of his aides said hesitantly.

Gary sat at the computer. Right across social media, every newspaper website etc was carrying the story about Red being real and him being found by the Foxedge Town Laboratory. Gary was livid.

"WHO ON EARTH LEAKED THIS?" Gary screamed. Everybody in the room froze with fear. Gary could be arrogant but he was always chilled out. Never like this.

"Okay everybody out! I mean everybody! Callum! Get over here, only you can stay! You've been my aide since I had my first job as a professor. I need you to deal with the press whilst I investigate the leak."

"Yes Gary!" Callum replied.

As the other aides left Callum stood outside, waiting for the inevitable rush of press. He took out his phone and sent a text with the words "Prof locked down information, unable to begin search. In position of trust." Callum scrolled down searching for the contact required, "The Mayor".

Meanwhile inside, Gary changed every single password and created a computer code that failed password entries would mutate the password into one of 8 passwords only he would know. He had no idea the source of this leak, even Callum would not get to know. Gary always felt his best and worst trait was his stubbornness.

But most worryingly for him, this sensitive information had been leaked. The highlight of his career so far had been compromised for whatever reason and he alone would find out what.

Around 20 minutes passed before the press arrived. Callum tried to contain them and keep them calm but as Gary heard him struggle he decided to step outside and make an announcement himself. The press fell silent as they saw him.

"Good evening." Flashing lights were an ever present site, the tv camera's rolling. He took a deep breath.

"You may have heard rumours that we have found Red. That is not necessarily true. We have found that two humans were on the Heaven Reaching Slopes on the night of 9th of November. Right now we cannot confirm or deny the identity of either of these people. As for the data, I have locked down the data so that only I can access it, we are trying to find the source of the leak. A leak of this nature is highly unusual and suggests an ulterior motive. I have since informed the police to place all staff including myself under investigation to determine any criminal intent. This may seem extreme, but in a time where I have to be suspicious of all my staff I feel it is only right that I am proven to be clean of any misdeeds along with the innocent parties in this case. I hope they understand my reasoning. As for the press we will inform you when any new information is fit for release, until then please leave the premises after providing Callum with your contact details." Gary stepped back into the building as Callum began taking the contact details of all the journalists and reporters.

As Gary walked through the halls, he walked into his office and poured a drink of Scotch he was saving for the night the information would be released. However, the taste could not be enjoyed. This was purely to help him relax after such a stressful time. He began thinking through all the names of his aides, no not just his aides, but his friends. He could not understand why one of them would betray him in such a way.

_Back on Route 3_

The sky was dotted with stars as Ash, May, Cedric and Christine slept. In quiet serenity they immersed themselves in their imagination apart from Ash.

_"Where am I?" Ash pondered. He was standing between the peaks of two mountains. In the distance he could see Mt Ysp. "Well that answers that."_

_Ash began trudging through the snow looking for some sign of life or explanation, he tried forcing his mind to think of anything and everything else but nothing would happen. It was the other night all over again. The ground in front of him exploded. As startled as he was the body he occupied didn't move, it looked up._

_"Zekrom…" Again Ash had no control like the previous dream. His hands threw a Pokeball into the air and unleashed Reshiram. This was getting even more bizarre. Ash realised another person stood opposite him. He seemed to be dressed much like Ash would except his clothes were Blue. _

_Not a word was spoken yet the two Pokemon launched themselves into a battle. Ash recognised the array of moves but was more concerned about getting himself out of the dream. After what felt like five minutes, the ground beneath them disappeared, replaced by a white hall. Both Pokemon were recalled and Ash looked around at the white pillars stretching high out of sight._

_"Where am I?" Ash tried to scream but not a sound could be heard. A blinding light descended from the sky and morphed into the form of a Pokemon Ash had met only once._

_"Arceus! Can you hear me?" Ash was pleading now, when would this nightmare end. The lack of control he had was frightening him, whether this was real or not was becoming blurred to him. _

_"Red, Blue… Carrier. Why have I been summoned here?" Arceus sounded a little annoyed but with a small amount of concern for good measure. The pair stood silent. _

_"Ah I see Arceus responded, I shall explain. Carrier, you are in the real world and in direct contact with Christine. You have been charged by the court of the Hall Of Origin to protect her whatever the cost."_

_"Wait what? Am I the carrier?" Ash was continuing to shout, but again he could not hear his own voice._

_"Yes. You are the carrier Ash. You must also warn Professor Gary Oak to be careful who he keeps close. The intent of one aide is cruelty and greed. Goodbye Ash."_

The light faded back into the world, he could feel control return to his body. His eyes opened, the sun was shining through the trees bathing the tents of the four campers in a warm glow. Ash stepped out of his tent and checked his watch.

"Only 7:30am…. Best start cooking breakfast then." Following his decision to travel to Jiolt, Delia had spent a week teaching Ash to cook as this time he would have to fend for himself and May at the very least. However, meeting Cedric up until now had allowed them to split cooking duties. Although when they were in a town they avoided cooking and enjoyed the break.

Ash released Charizard after collecting some wood and had Charizard light a fire. Placing a pan on a small stand he had bought to sit over the fire he added olive oil before cooking up some bacon for bacon rolls. The aroma spread out to the tents awakening the others. Christine was the first to emerge.

"Good morning Ash that smells delicious!"

"You are just in time, the first bits of bacon are done!" He handed her a small roll with two pieces of bacon inside. "Help yourself to water, we have loads!"

Shortly afterwards May and Cedric emerged also and all four sat by the fire, as much as the warm glow heated the tents, it remained relatively cool outside. The temperature was actually rather refreshing.

"So Christine, how long to Silver City?" Ash asked.

"Well we are about a week away, so we need to watch not to battle much." Ash and May's faces dropped.

"Is there no quicker way?" May asked hopefully.

"Well we could always cut across Mt Algave… It would reduce it to 4 days but would involve climbing a mountain and going down the other side. There is a path but if their ends up being a storm it will be very dangerous."

Cedric had heard enough.

"We will go round, no point in risking our lives to save a couple of days." Ash and May agreed. As much as the week long journey was not a treat they looked forward to they had matured past the recklessness of their younger years.

"Just before we go I need to give Gary a call, May can I borrow your phone?"

"Why Ash?" May looked at him suspiciously, she knew she could trust him. It just seemed bizarre as all the time he had known her he had never once phoned anybody from the road.

"Dreams again…"

May nodded and handed him the phone. Ash gratefully took it and walked just out of hearing distance from the campsite and phoned Gary.

"Hello Gary Oak speaking! If it's about the rumours, no comment." Gary spoke down the phone.

"Gary it's me Ash!"

"Oh! Sorry Ash, been having a lot of calls about the news, have you heard?" Gary asked.

"No what news?"

"Some sensitive data was leaked by one of my aides from the lab."

"I might be too late then…"

"What do you mean Ash?"

"Well I had a dream last night… I dreamed I was on the Heaven Reaching Slopes with one other person and Zekrom and Reshiram were there, battling. The four of us were transported to a white hall and Arceus appeared and spoke to the two people calling them Red and Blue… It seemed like I was in Red's body but Arceus seemed to speak to me… Even used my name. He told me to warn you that one of your aides intentions were "of cruelty and greed"."

"Hmm…" Gary pondered Ash's words. He knew he could trust Ash but this sounded a tad ludicrous… But Ash had been through some incredible adventures. "Okay Ash, I'll get right on it… I may need to close the lab to the aides until the investigations are complete."

"Probably wise Gary. Look I've got to go, got a week's walk to get to Silver City! So that'll be fun!"

"Ash before you go… If you stop in Hanston pay a visit to Bill! You know Bill from Kanto, he was working on a system that might help you get to Silver City… That's all I'll say! See you around Ash!"

"Bye Gary!"

_The Mayor's Office_

The Mayor sat at his typewriter, writing down his thoughts as he cast his mind back to the moment that changed his life and outlook on the world.

_"Everybody on the ground!" The man downstairs screamed. _

_I was petrified. My mother had me hide under the bed as I heard loud bangs and gunshots from downstairs. I may only have been 12 but I was old enough to know a gunshot when I heard them. I could hear the screams of my family's staff downstairs, I didn't know what my parents did at the time but it was paying them well. _

_My mother was still in my bedroom with me ensuring that I remained under the bed._

_The door burst open. Men were screaming at my Mother to place her hands on her head and get on her knees but she remained upright defiantly with her hands by her side._

_"I'm warning you!" The man roared. The sound struck me with fear that I had never felt before._

_"Get on your knees!" The man continued to insist, but my mother remained upright._

_"Last warning!" He called. A few moments passed before the man fired. I watched as her legs collapsed underneath the weight of her, as she hit the ground her face turned towards me a small smile on her face. A pool of blood formed around her chest and the men who had shot her left the room in search of my Father. _

The Mayor sat back from his typewriter a tear in his eye.

"Where was your justice parents? They had the wrong address. The tip off was wrong and yet they still shot you both. No question's asked. I stood in court every day for a month with my grandparents hearing that the Jiolt justice system had killed you. There is no justice. Not in this world. Not in this life. Where is my justice? At 12 years old I watched my mother die in front of me." The Mayor smashed his fist down on the desk before standing and flipping it over, breaking the majority of the contents from the table. He crumpled to the floor whispering to himself.

"I'm sorry mother… I'm sorry." Tears flowed from his eyes, rolling onto the ground where broken pieces of glass and pieces of metal from the now broken typewriter were strewn across the floor.

"I will avenge you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! I should say I've uploaded the previous chapters in such quick succession that I don't think I'll be able to keep posting at that rate! Ideally I should have one up once every week/2 weeks at the latest so follow to keep up to date! So as AdvancedLover pointed out Cedric hasn't really had too much of a role up until this point, don't worry I do have plans for him. But I've decided to bring forward one major part of his back story and just go into his childhood for part of this chapter. I'm going to experiment with using POV's this chapter for the first two parts!**

_Last Time:Ash, Cedric and May set off towards Silver City. On their way they met Christine who was being attacked by three goons who work for the Mayor. There was also a leak to the press about the information obtained from the device Gary's lab had sent into the sky causing Gary to close his lab to all but himself. Also Ash had another dream where he saw Arceus who told Ash to protect Christine and warn Gary of one of his aide's intentions. Lastly we got an insight into the Mayor's back story where we discover that his parents were killed in front of his eyes.._

**Chapter 6:The Door Is Found**

**_Cedric's POV_**

I cannot believe I'm actually out here. Lying in my tent just a couple more days walk until Silver City. We are going to meet Bill from Kanto in Fir Town who is an inventor and knows Ash too, so that should be interesting. But I can't help but miss my mother.

It has been just me and her since I was very little. My only memories of my Dad are of him shouting, usually at me and my mother. He never did like it in Foxedge Town, he said it was too small. That there was nothing anybody who lived there could accomplish. Well I guess we showed him, the family business took off after he left and our still small town flourished, especially with the help of Gary's Lab.

Although that isn't what they always argued from. A lot of nights when I was in bed I would hear him come in late at night. The shouting would make me cry most nights. It was scary, I always found it hard to hear shouting when I was young. My mother said it was to do with my grandma from his side passing away but it always seemed to be more than that. He always wanted more and couldn't appreciate the little things. Life's small pleasures.

But back to the point, I still miss her. After my father left I never once saw my mother cry, she was a tremendously strong woman. Nothing ever seemed beyond her, she was like a superhero to me. But the morning I left, I saw her shed a tear. It broke my heart in two really, I said I could stay but she insisted I go and follow my dream because she hadn't followed hers.

She was originally from the Hoenn region and was actually a rather good trainer, but when she met my father who was from Foxedge Town she followed him back to Jiolt and has been there ever since. She has never even been back home thanks to the family business. It was awfully hard on her but part of my dream was that by being a strong trainer I could provide for her a better life. I could hire more help for the business and she could go back to Hoenn and see her old friends and that. A few have come to visit, but very rarely to say the least. She would get tremendously lonely.

After my father left she had changed. Her smile always seemed empty after he was gone. As much as it was hard to live with him, she really did love him as did I. Although she never told me where he went, I always thought it'd be nice to meet him again, but I was so young when he left I barely remember what he looks like. My mother didn't keep any photos with him in them just to help try and forget.

I don't know what he went on to do, but my mother said he wanted to go to a big city and get involved with politics. Politics never did interest me, sadly they all seem to look out for themselves. It sure wasn't going to be anything I got involved with. I mean I still found it ridiculous that they allowed 10 years old to go on journey's throughout such vast and dangerous regions.

But still the thought of him trying to make a difference seemed a noble one. I wonder if he got anywhere. Maybe he was part of Congress? Or maybe a councillor? Or maybe a Mayor?

**_Christine's POV_**

It was only a few months back that I asked my Dad about going on a journey. I had Squirtle already but we hadn't set off for a couple of years as Squirtle had hatched from an egg that my dad gave me for my 12th Birthday. I wanted Squirtle and myself to become best friends before we set off. Squirtle and I would go out and we caught a bunch of Pokemon too that live at my parent's house. We had battled a few times against trainers and usually won, in fact the first time I lost in 10 battles was to those goons.

I still feel shaken by that. I hadn't lost yet, even overcoming type disadvantages, me and Squirtle were a very strong team. Well I guess we all have to lose at some point. It's the only reason I am still a bit shy around Ash, May and Cedric. I worry that they think I am weak. I want to challenge Ash and Cedric to a battle as I know Ash is very experienced (I still can't believe how many legendaries he has encountered) and Cedric seems to know his stuff. If I was going to prove myself the morning provided as best a chance as any.

But anyway back to me setting off. It was the night before I left I was looking through a box of old photographs in our attic and I stumbled across a baby picture of me with a man I didn't know. So I asked my Dad who it was.

"Ah that's my brother, he set off on a journey when he was 10 and is still on that journey! He doesn't keep in touch but last time I saw him he said he watches over me. I still couldn't believe it when he showed up at the hospital to see you. Although he left right after that picture was taken…"

I will never forget my Dad saying that. He began to tear up and left the room to compose himself. When he came back he explained that my uncle had done incredible things, taking down Team Rocket, becoming Champion among lots of other things. But it was the last line that really stuck with me.

"I'd give anything to just know that he's okay. I've not seen him in 16 years. I know he's strong but I still worry." The tears began to form in his eyes. But now I had a real reason to go on my journey, to find my uncle and reunite our family.

It had been a long journey so far, I had my first two badges but had already made some friends in these three. I had been rather lonely as a child just down to shyness above all else. Being a trainer now was empowering, I could put on this front and nobody would know. Don't get me wrong, I am a good trainer but I can pretend to be really confident now. Back home, people could see right through me.

I don't mean to sound like I blame them, but my parents were a bit anti-social. They didn't seem to have any real friends in Silver City. Like they had people they knew and got on with, but none seemed like friends which is a shame on them. But I have an opportunity in the morning, I had become so good at feigning confidence but one loss had knocked me out of my stride, if myself and my Pokemon could put in a good account of ourselves in a battle against Ash I might regain that ability. And hopefully it will stick.

_The following morning 3__rd__ person view_

The group had just finished tidying up after breakfast and just before they set off Christine spoke up.

"Ash I'd like to challenge you to a battle!"

Ash looked a little bemused considering he managed to clear off the goons by himself when she couldn't. However, he was not going to let that stop the battle. He gave Christine a grin and a nod. The group cleared the campsite whilst Cedric and May took their place at the side of the battlefield.

"Pinsir I choose you!" Christine shouted releasing her Pokemon. Ash noticed that Pinsir was carrying a Pinsirite.

"A mega stone? Well you must have trained hard! Let's go Pikachu." Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder. Ash cast his mind back to when Pikachu defeated Korrina's Mega Lucario. Pikachu had done incredible that day.

"Pinsir use Focus Blast!"

"Pikachu dodge it!"

Pinsir charged the energy and launched it straight at Pikachu who dodged just in time. Ash spoke up.

"Christine, Pikachu has defeated Mega Pokemon before, how about you mega evolve Pinsir." Ash gave a wink and Christine agreed.

"Pinsir Mega Evolve!" She placed her fingers onto the keystone on her wrist. Red energy began to radiate between the two stones and in a bright flash of light the Pinsir had Mega Evolved, increasing its wingspan and the size of its pincers.

"Pikachu you ready for the challenge?" Pikachu responded by unleashing a large bolt of thunder into the sky. "Okay Pikachu use thunderbolt!"

"Pinsir use Sludge!"

Pikachu unleashed the thunderbolt at lightning speed and managed to hit Pinsir before the sludge attack could come off.

"Pikachu use iron tail!"

"Pinsir use Close Combat!"

As Pikachu arrived at Pinsir, the light shining from its now metallic tail, Pikachu and Pinsir began trading and blocking blows at each other before Pikachu jumped back and whilst in the air Ash called his next attack.

"Pikachu use Electro Ball!"

"Pinsir dodge it!"

But Pinsir was too slow. The ball of electrical energy crashed into Pinsir sending it flying back into a tree. However, Pinsir picked itself up from the ground and flew back to the battlefield.

"I knew that wouldn't get you Pinsir! Let's use Vital Throw!"

Pinsir grabbed hold of Pikachu launching it into the air.

"Pikachu Electro Ball!"

"Pinsir use Guillotine!"

Pikachu began to charge to electrical ball of energy but was too late. Pinsir caught Pikachu between its pincers. But it didn't complete the move. It just flew down and sat Pikachu on the ground.

"Christine thanks for not hurting Pikachu." Ash gave a smile and put his hand up for a high five as did Pikachu.

"No problem Ash, I trained Pinsir to do that, it's not a move that should ever be used in full. At that point catching them is enough."

"I must admit I under estimated you! You've got moxie!" Cedric said as he walked over.

"No Cedric Pinsir has moxie." Cedric and Christine let out a chuckle while Ash and May just let them share that moment themselves.

"And on that note I think we should get heading! Bill will be waiting in Fir Town for us!" Ash proclaimed, and the four of them headed off towards Fir Town.

_At Foxedge Town Laboratories_

Gary sat at the computer desk his eyes staring blankly at the data coming through to him. The dark patches under his eyes and empty cups of coffee lay throughout his office. It had been a few days since the press release and the constant ringing of the phone had taken him to the point where he unhooked it. Only his mobile phone would be answered as only a handful of people have his number.

Sorting through data like this was half of the reason he had his aides, organising pictures, graphs, spreadsheets were all so tedious to him. He took a moment to feel sorry for them and how he was using them. However, the feeling didn't last long as he reminded himself that somebody had betrayed him. In fact a private investigator was due to arrive in a few days to help Gary determine the source of the leak, he could only pray to Arceus that the investigator didn't turn out to be a journalist in disguise.

But for now he turned his attention back to the video clips he was sorting through and that was when he saw it. On the mountainside there was a door shape etched in stone on Mt Sivolt. He zoomed into it as much as he could only to witness there was ancient text written across it. It was a language that had not been used in a long time in the Jiolt region and only a handful of people these days would have even a remote chance of translating Potongue. Luckily though he was one of those people. Gary was very much an academic, his arrogance as a trainer was something he transferred to his research and he wanted to know everything he possibly could.

He wrote out the symbols that he could make out on the door:

_Σκούρο φορές περιμένουν όσους προσπαθούν να ελέγξουν _

_το πεπρωμένο του άλλου . Αφήστε αυτό να χρησιμεύσει ως μια _

_προειδοποίηση για το τι να περιμένουμε στην αίθουσα της προέλευσης_

He brushed down an old dusty textbook that he retrieved from his chest of drawers that he kept in his office and set about the long process of translating the words.

What he did not realise is that somebody stood in the shadows of the laboratory. With their computer they could see inside Gary's office thanks to a brief few minutes of hacking the computer system. She had found what she needed.

_The Mayor's Office_

The phone was ringing and The Mayor proceeded to answer it.

"Hello…. Ah so he has found a door? Okay… Once you know the translation let me know, we need this confirmed for the next stage of the plan." The Mayor hung up the phone and placed it down.

"Well now… Things have just gotten interesting." He said with a smirk.

_Fir Town_

"And welcome to Fir Town!" Christine proclaimed.

The other's however, collapsed to the floor.

"Thank you Arceus! We made it!" Ash and May were on their knees contemplating kissing the tarmac that they had missed.

"Now, now. Don't get too excited you haven't even seen me yet!"

Ash stepped up and looked at the man in front of him, with the same brown hair style that he always had and once again in a shirt and trousers looking smart.

"Hey Bill! What's up?" Ash asked, the two shook hands. Ash formally introduced the Cedric and Christine before answering Ash's question.

"Well Ash there's a reason I brought you here, I've invented something really cool that's just finished being set up!" Ash, May and Cedric's eyes began to wonder, after all this was Bill. The man who invented the time capsule and Pokemon storage system! He was a legend. "I've been expanding on my teleportation device and well… I've succeeded."

"You can teleport now? That's a huge breakthrough!" Cedric said.

"Haha, you would think that." Bill gave a slight grin that slowly turned into a huge one. "You see I mastered it years ago between two teleport machines side by side, not long after I met Ash actually. However, I couldn't get it long range. But what I've managed to do is create a device that does it over vast distances!"

"How big do you mean by vast?" Christine seemed sceptical.

"Well how about every town and city in Jiolt? It's just finishing being installed and I thought you guys would like to try it with me?" Bill asked.

The group were enthusiastic and Bill decided to treat them to dinner as there was some more finishing touches to be made. Bill took the four of them to a small restaurant that served food native to Kanto.

Shortly after the five of them had finished eating Cedric and Christine began asking questions.

"So Bill, I've gotta ask. You've created some of the most astounding inventions the world has ever seen and connected people who would never have dreamed could be. Why did you do it all for free? You could be a multi billionaire by now! William Fate who owns Pokesoft!" Cedric asked.

"That's true I could be rich by now, but I am an inventor. I'm happy just to invent! Governments give me pretty good money to live off of but cover all my outgoings for my inventions. It's not really different to being a trainer really. You guys win money from people you beat, I get some money for every invention I want to make." Bill offered a comforting smile.

"So how does it actually work? Your teleportation system?" Christine asked with some intent. She seemed a bit concerned about it.

"Don't worry it's perfectly safe Christine. You know the psychic energy Abra's produce? Well I discovered the brain wave that produces that ability. After finding out the information I needed from the brain wave all I had to do was build a device that could replicate it. It took me 6 years of working on it every day but I finally got there! Luckily enough it wasn't like the time this one trainer who I met came to see me and I had a lab accident. Let's just say I know what it feels like to be a Pokemon!" Bill let out a sigh and cast his mind back a long time ago.

_Flashback Begins_

_"Hey Red? What's up?" Bill asked through the phone._

_"Hey Bill listen I need something, I need you to design a device that can keep me warm in extremely low temperatures." Red asked._

_"May I ask why?"_

_"I'm climbing Mt Silver to train." Red said._

_"I don't buy it. A man who has the ability to defeat Elite Four's already would not do something this extreme to train." Bill responded with a hint of sass._

_"Okay I'll be honest, I completed the Pokedex. Or at least I thought I had… I found out I need to find Mew. There was a text I found while exploring in Cinnabar Island that the way Mewtwo was created was by using Mew's DNA which they found on top of Mt Silver. So I have to go there to find Mew."_

_"Okay I''ll do it Red, but make sure and keep in touch. You're a good friend and I'd hate for something to happen to you."_

_Flashback Ends_

"So how did you keep in touch with the trainer who saw your lab accident?" Ash asked.

"We tried, but we drifted…" Bill looked down at his empty plate, staring blankly for a moment. Christine had caught onto this.

"You are lying." Christine stated.

"How would you know? You only just met me?" Bill asked trying to put on a happy exterior.

"I can see it in your eyes. But beyond that, let me take a punt. He disappeared, you never saw him again. And it wasn't just you he didn't see. He didn't see anyone. Was his name Red?"

Bill tried to laugh off the suggestion but the fact the others looked serious suggested to him they knew something.

"Yes…" He reluctantly said. "I only said because you guys seem to know something. What do you know?"

_Foxedge Town Lab_

"Eureka!" Gary called aloud. He looked round remembering nobody else was there. "Oh well one of the signs is madness is talking to yourself. But hey I can be like the nutty professor! Gary Oak The Nutty Professor. They could make a film from that…." He trailed off onto a little speech before realising that he had neglected to write down the last word of the translation.

He stepped back from his board and read the word's he had written.

Dark times await those who try to control the destiny of another  
>Let this serve as a warning of what to expect in the Room of Origin<p>

"Oh dear Arceus… Could I have just found the Hall of Origin? That one word is a little off but that's to be expected."

Gary pondered the words. He had potentially just found the Hall Of Origin a landmark discovery the likes of which had never been seen before. The troubling part was that he knew he had found it. But he couldn't really tell anyone. People from all across the globe could try to take advantage of it for their own game. No he couldn't do that. This was a secret he would have to live with. He cleared the blackboard.

"Wait a second." He began writing on the board as if examining a crime scene. He listed off the names of all his aides and began looking at their files. Only one was from Jiolt and could realistically have had any prior knowledge. Ash's words about the aide "intentions were of cruelty and greed." He began scrolling through the security footage to the night of the leak. He saw him make a phone call that night and 40 minutes later the press had begun to arrive in Foxedge. Realistically it made sense it could only be him. It was Callum.

**Okay I should say I know Callum only had a minor part in the story but I felt he had to have a name. He won't play much of a part in the rest of this story. As for the rest of this chapter I hope that you enjoyed it and like the back story of Christine and Cedric. For you Advanced Shippers out there not much between Ash and May but there will be in the next chapter! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello guys! Welcome back to Chapter 7 where we will see the first ever use of a regional teleport! Hopefully we get that in real life someday and I won't have to take the bus to get to classes… **

_Last Time: We had an insight into both Cedric and Christine's back stories. The following morning Christine decided to challenge Ash to a 1v1 battle where she used her Pinsir against Ash's Pikachu except Pinsir could Mega Evolve. Christine won the battle leading to heightened respect for her as they realised she was a strong trainer. The group advanced to Fir Town where they met up with Bill the Pokemaniac who invited them all to test out his new Teleportation System. Beyond this Gary discovered a door from the live video feed scanning the Heaven Reaching Slopes which appears to be the entrance to the Hall Of Origin._

**Chapter 7: Visions and The Hall Of Origin**

After dinner with Bill the teleportation system had hit a minor setback so it would not be ready until morning. They had all agreed to stay at Bills home where Ash and May were sharing a room and Cedric and Christine were sharing a room. All five had fallen asleep in their rooms the blissful silence music to their ears after the busy restaurant and an evening of nonstop talking. However, this was about to be disrupted.

_Ash appeared on the streets of Aldham City. Everything looked normal for once. "Great another dream, at least this seems right." But as he finished that word it went black. This was certainly not normal._

_Ash heard an explosion, he spun round and the sky was filled by a violent eruption of fire that seemed as though it had burst from heaven itself. It was as he looked away he realised the destruction and horror. He could see the buildings of Aldham City were now ruins set alight by the blazing fire. Children cried as the adults tried to get them to safety. Explosions of the cities gas networks could be heard. _

_Ash tried to look away but everywhere he looked, he saw pain and suffering everywhere he turned. People screaming trying to escape this nightmare. Ash was confused and bewildered until he saw him. He looked up, and could see a shadowy figure at the end of the road stood motionless. _

_"Hey over here!" Ash shouted, he tried running towards the character. But with every step closer he was the further the figure appeared. Every step proved to be useless but Ash continued trying. But it was when the figure started to turn around, Ash froze. He was paralyzed by fear unable to turn his head away forced to look at the figure as it struck fear through every bone in his body. The light from the fire began to fade replaced only by the sight of the shadow. Consuming Ash._

_"Please don't make me look! Please turn around! Please! Please!" Ash called but to no avail._

_The face was almost visible now, he could make out the clothes. The man was in a suit carrying a cane whilst wearing a top hat. The view itself didn't scare him, it was his gut feeling that what he was looking at could only be described as pure evil. Ash was panicking, his breathing turned rapid and his heart was beating like an angry drum building up to a moment of dread. _

_The face had just crept into the light and instantly Ash knew the man. He had spotted him on newspapers in the Jiolt Region… The Mayor of Aldham City._

_The dream cut to black but Ash still couldn't awake. He tried to move but could only remain motionless dreading what vision he would have next. Instead it cut to a door in some language Ash had never seen. He felt himself compelled to walk towards it and as he did he saw the door edge open, a relaxing light escaping through the door but just as he almost reached it everything faded to black once more._

_"You have seen what will happen if the man in the shadows succeeds. You have seen what he is after now go and save us all." Arceus said._

_It was then that Ash heard Red and Blue say "Yes Arceus!"_

Ash woke up. The haziness from his eyes still clearing. Ash looked over at May who was staring back at him.

"Ash… are you okay?" May asked.

"Yeah May… It's just…" Ash proceeded to explain the dream and the fear he felt especially with the Mayor.

"Oh my god Ash that is horrible! Do you want to cuddle with me again?" May asked, a reddish hue developing on her cheeks.

"I do, but could we do it out by the window I just wanna look outside a bit." May nodded her head and stood up, took Ash by the hand and looked out the window with him. A faint trace of the aurora could be seen that night.

"Wow it sure is beautiful." May said.

"Yeah…. The company is even better though!" Ash gave a goofy grin. May responded with a light punch on the arm.

"You don't mean that!" May looked down a bit, almost disappointed at her lack of self confidence in this scenario.

"No May. I really do. You stuck by me when almost everybody else was turning on me and always have. I am so glad you came on this journey with me I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather be with than you right now."

May was blushing furiously now. "Thank you Ash."

"You don't have to thank me because it's the truth."

The two stood for a moment and looked at the stars and aurora looking up wondering what was actually out there. They then turned to look at each other and stared deeply into each other's eyes.

"You look beautiful May."

May didn't respond instead she tightened her grip on him and the couple stared out onto the horizon waiting for the coming sunset.

_The following morning_ _at Fir Town's teleporter_

"Okay guys so just stay still and make sure you aren't touching each other! That's what I learnt all those years ago!" Bill said. "3…..2…...1…..Teleport!"

In a flash all four had disappeared. Bill stood anxiously for a moment, it had been tested before and in theory should work. At the very least it worked for all the inanimate objects they sent.

"Bill we just got confirmation they've arrived safe and sound!" Bill's aide said.

"Perfect! That's it we have just made history!"

_In Silver City_

"Hi welcome to Silver City!" A woman said.

"Hi! Thank you! Where's the gym?" Ash asked. This caused the rest of the group to face palm.

"Ash is that always the first thing you think of?" May said with a rather annoyed tone.

"No not always…. Sometimes it's you!" Ash said with a grin as May gave him a soft punch on the arm.

Christine and Cedric had remained completely oblivious still trying to process the teleportation that had just taken place.

"Yep! But let's get to the gym ask questions later!"

The woman proceeded to take them to the gym and explain about the history of Silver City. Like the other gyms this one was also attached to a Pokemon centre. However, as they entered the gym this one was different. It seemed like a regular battlefield and the gym leader stood opposite the four.

"So you are the famous Ash Ketchum?" The leader asked.

"Yes I am and I am here to challenge you!"

"Well then, I've heard all about your strength so I am going to use my full strength team. We will battle 3V3 neither may make substitutions. However, we will toss a coin on each round to determine who releases first."

"Perfect I love a challenge!" Ash said.

"My name is Blue by the way. You may call the coin toss." Blue said as he tossed the coin.

"Nice to meet you Blue let's get this show on the road. I call heads."

The coin landed. It came up tails so Blue would release first.

"Go Blastoise!"

"Blastoise? Well Pikachu you are up!" Ash responded.

"I hope you are not relying on type advantage that will not serve you well here!" Blue responded.

The two stood looking at each other neither making a move. Leaving Cedric and May confused as to why neither were attacking.

"It's psychological." Christine said. "Whoever attack's first might be frustrated and lose their cool."

"Well you can't win a battle without attacking! Pikachu Quick Attack!" Pikachu began darting forward towards Blastoise at incredible speeds.

Just before Pikachu hit Blastoise it retreated into its shell dropping down. This left Pikachu hitting the hard part of the shell causing Pikachu damage instead. However, Ash got lucky. Yellow sparks shot around Blastoise alerting Ash to the fact he got the paralysis.

"Okay with the paralysis this changes things. Blastoise Mega Evolve!" Blue revealed a key stone and Mega Evolved Blastoise. Blastoise now had one super-sized cannon instead of two and small ones at each wrist. "Blastoise use hydro pump!"

"Pikachu use thunderbolt!"

Pikachu shot a bolt of electricity straight at the hydro pump sending electricity running up the water hitting Blastoise. However, it could not stop the water that hit Pikachu. Both Pokemon stood across from each other looking worse for wear but with a serious determination within their eyes and smiles on their faces.

"Pikachu use quick attack!"

"Blastoise into your shell!"

"Pikachu wait for it…. Now Electro Ball into the shell!"

"Blastoise get out of there!"

Just as Pikachu reached Blastoise the Electro Ball was already charged and launched the ball of electricity towards it. Blastoise, with its bulky physique was far too slow to be able to protect itself from the attack. Blastoise had managed to get its head out just in time but could only watch the ball of electricity hit itself and faint it.

"Well Ash that was certainly well done but I'm just getting started." Blue said with a smirk.

"That's what I like to hear." Ash responded.

_Outside Gary Oak's Laboratory_

"Okay so if the path starts here…. I can follow it up here…. Left up here…."

Gary stood up, leaving the computer and analysing a map he generated and charted out the route to the door. Except unlike before he had covered all windows/doors and checked the room his office from top to bottom to ensure there was no cameras.

"Right so that's the route sorted. Bike? Check. Helmet? Check. Camera? Check…" He trailed off as he began to confirm the list mentally. "Well that's everything."

Gary collected his things and gathered them into his bag. He had plotted out what seemed to be a safe path to the entrance, but he had to make sure he was not followed. Luckily though he had a secret tunnel built under the laboratory that would take him into Foxedge Town without stepping foot out in the open. He could not risk being followed as the words "cruelty and greed" ran through his mind. Gary did not know how much information they had obtained but couldn't risk anybody reaching the entrance first.

As he set off down the tunnels he realised that it was very cold inside. Ice could be seen in the cracks between the bricks but luckily it seemed to be clear of Pokemon. He wasn't sure how secure the tunnel was but the consequences of certain people reaching the hall were too grave to consider.

It was a relatively short walk, only two hours and he had reached the town. After all Gary had spent years travelling and studying Pokemon out in the field, something that helped his stamina. He had made sure to cover his face as to not draw attention. Information from his lab was hot property now, before he left he read some of the articles questioning whether he had gone mad and that all the information should be released to the public. However, he had sent an e-mail to his mentor and friend Professor Rowan telling him to try and ease the pressure on his lab to release information as it was sensitive. Rowan had begun a press campaign to try and achieve this but was so far unsuccessful. It was disappointing, but scientists very rarely gained attention in the world press unless it was involving pop culture.

However, he had been spotted. A brief ten minute walk had taken him out of the town before he spun round releasing his Scizor. Scizor flashed in front of the person following him and pressed them against a tree. Gary walked towards him.

"Callum how could you?" Gary almost spat at him as he said this.

"For power. For money. My employer offers a lot more than anyone ever could. The control of Arceus. And I'd get to share in this."

"Well you are an idiot. No person will ever develop something that can control Arceus." Gary responded. He reached into Callum's pocket removing his phone before throwing it onto the ground and smashing it into pieces. He picked up the still intact sim card and snapped it in half. Gary also reached in and took his other belongings including keys/wallet etc before phoning Officer Jenny. He used a strange voice to mask his identity before tying Callum to the tree.

"You won't get away with this Gary!"

"You mean you won't. In your pocket there was a card from "the Mayor" and a note saying about your next objectives. So I'll just sit them here, just out of your reach and be on my way. Goodbye Callum."

Gary turned away from his former colleague with a disgusted look before thanking and returning Scizor. It would be another few hours until he reached the beginning of the path at the bottom of Mt Sivolt.

_Back In Silver City_

Ash, Christine and Cedric had all won their battles, and now along with May were sitting in a small room inside the Pokemon Centre alongside Blue. Ash was the first to speak up.

"So Blue, how have I been seeing you in my dreams?"

"Ash can we discuss this in private?" Blue responded.

"No, anything you say you can say in front of them." Ash seemed adamant in this.

"Trust me Ash… We should discuss this in private, it is quite sensitive information."

Christine, Cedric and May all looked a bit hurt but were about to leave until Ash gestured to them to remain seated.

"Okay then. Well there is a secret plot underfoot. Gary has been making huge discoveries about the Heaven Reaching Slopes concerning the entrance to the Hall Of Origin. But there was a mole, and they've been leaking the information to Devon Corporation under the Silph Conglomerate. However, the big thing is we believe they are working with a public official, the mayor of Aldham City. Their plan is to gain control of Arceus. Now Cedric this part is actually concerning you. Do you promise to work alongside us if you hear this?"

Cedric looked a little confused by this last statement but he agreed.

"The Mayor of Aldham City is your father, and we believe he is the head of this plot."

Cedric gaze turned cold. He looked down at the table, all the wind out his sails.

"Well now I definitely want to help. He abandoned me and my mother and robbed me years of my life being the man he couldn't be. Knowing he is trying something so evil makes me mad." He slammed his fist down on the table, Christine tried to pull him into a hug but he pushed her away. She looked hurt by the fact. "I'm sorry Christine, sorry guys just give me a minute." He stepped away from the table and exited to get some air.

Much to the surprise of the group, it was Blue who insisted on going after him. "Hey Cedric, I know this isn't easy."

"Well of course it isn't. I had convinced myself my dad left to go on and do bigger and better things, not anything like this." Cedric spat on the ground. "I'm just worried I'm like him."

"Trust me you are not." Blue responded. "I knew your father, back when I was young I was a trainer. I travelled the same region he was in when he met your mother. He was driven, but to the point of obsession, of borderline psychotic. He could not accept a loss. He would have his Pokemon undergo intensive training regimes that almost killed a few that he released. He would attack trainers much less experienced than him to fuel his ego. But when I beat him in the first round of the Pokemon League, he left without saying a word and released all 6 of his Pokemon."

Cedric looked in horror, he was nothing like his father. But this all fuelled his range. "Well I'm going to make him pay for all the wrong he has done."

"No you aren't. We are going to stop him, and let the law do its work. Revenge isn't an enjoyable dish. Trust me on that." Blue gestured for Cedric to follow him back inside.

After that brief moment Cedric and Blue rejoined the table.

"Well now onto you Christine. You came on this journey to find Red, your uncle. What I can say is that he is fine and is proud of you." Blue gave her a smile.

"What! You know him?" Christine's eyes wide in shock.

"Yeah I do! I was his rival, and now closest friend. He is in Jiolt working on business that I will get onto. Sadly though he cannot reveal himself to the public, with the leak from Gary's lab everybody is looking out for him."

Christine looked down at this thought.

"But don't worry when this is all done he will come meet you. Well the reason I got us this room to speak in is that I know it's quiet and soundproofed so nobody can hear. What Red is doing… What I do to, is we protect the entrance to the Hall Of Origin. Arceus cares for humans and does not want to cut off his last link with them, thus he revealed it to me, Red and now Gary. This is because we have it's best interests in heart. Now the reason why you have been having the dreams Ash is that Arceus set up the link between me, you and Red. This was because with you having both Cedric and Christine's trust and them being so close to their relatives deeply embroiled in this, we needed somebody to protect them who had a pure heart. As for you May, we know that you keep Ash in check which is why I can tell you this all."

The group had gone silent the realisation of the severity of this plot had just become apparent to them.


End file.
